BJP leader among 5 arrested for assault on ex-MLA's personal assistant in Beed district

Beed, Dec 16 Police said on Tuesday they have arrested local BJP leader Balraje Pawar and four others in connection with the assault on a personal assistant of Maharashtra ex-MLA Amarsingh Pandit during clashes that erupted on the day of municipal council polls in Beed district.

The accused, arrested late on Monday, were on Tuesday produced before a local court, which remanded them to one day of police custody.

The incident traces back to December 2, when polling for the Georai Municipal Council was underway.

A minor dispute at the Urdu Primary School polling booth in Ward No. 11 escalated into a clash between workers of the BJP and its ally Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) after voting concluded.

According to the police, following the altercation, Balraje Pawar and his associates allegedly went to the residence of former MLA Pandit and assaulted his personal assistant Amrut Davkar.

Subsequently, NCP leaders Jaisinh Pandit and Prithviraj Pandit along with their supporters, allegedly went to the residence of former MLA Laxman Pawar, where vehicles were vandalised, bringing both groups face to face and further escalating tensions, they said.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the violence, the police registered a case against 40 to 50 persons from both factions based on a complaint filed by policeman Ramrao Aghav. Several of the accused were later released after being served notices.

However, in the specific case related to trespass and assault on Pandit's PA, police added charges under relevant sections of the BNS against Pawar and four others.

The five men were arrested on Monday night from Georai town, said police.